April 2014

After enjoying homeschooling for eight odd months, Ethan started off in regular school just yesterday. He had always told me that he liked both homeschooling AND schooling, and that in an ideal world, he would have both. We just felt that he was ready and it is time he tried regular schooling. After all, it is only fair that he forms his own opinion of each after trying both out. It is ultimately his own happiness that’s important.

One thing for sure though (and one which we like about regular schooling) is that he will get a chance to be with friends his age almost every day. We had that in homeschooling on some days but not all days.

This also means ironing uniforms on a regular basis for me. No more slacking, Mom! 😛

Still early days but we’re going with the flow now. School runs will be tweaked somewhat, but I’m just extremely thankful for the proximity of his school to our home. I’m still pro-homeschooling though, please don’t get me wrong…but this is just something that we have to do, at least for now. I would definitely homeschool again in a heartbeat, if I have the opportunity to do so again.

It is an absolute JOY to witness a child embarking on a wonderful journey filled with imagination beyond boundaries. When a child starts putting thoughts and ideas into words and takes pen to paper, so to say, the possibilities are endless.

Where it happened pretty quickly with Ethan, so much so that I could not keep up, with Hannah, it has been a gradual process. She first learned her phonics and sounds and then blending those sounds together to form words. Her confidence in sounding out words as she attempts to read them has increased in leaps and bounds, and I cannot begin to say how proud I am of my little snowflake.

We read a story or two every night as a “nightcap” before we call it a day, and I am pleased that Hannah has been volunteering to read most of the words by herself!

Here’s a short descriptive sentence she wrote all by herself, complete with graphical illustration. She came up with the words on her own and even spelled the words on her own by blending the sounds of the letters.

Emma is able to stand unsupported for longer periods now, especially when she is unaware of herself doing so. Just waiting for her to take that first step.

Giving her a bath is no longer as easy as before, because she sometimes refuses to sit but wants to stand instead. And because it can get rather slippery, I need to hold her with one hand, and bathe her with the other!

Crawling around still gets her places the fastest.

Communication and Social Skills

Calls “Mama” when she wants me, or milk.

Responds to her name when called.

Others

Only ONCE in the past month, did I get a full 5-hour sleep through at night. On most nights, I only get 2-3 hours and then the little missy’s up. Could be due to teething.

Food and Feeding

Her diet is mostly 100% on Mommy’s milk, and she does drink some water (either from a regular cup or from a sippy cup), owing to her slight intake in solids. She’s not taken a keen interest in drinking from a straw yet though.

We’ve noticed that Emma seems to prefer fruits and veggies to meats; could this be a vegan in the making?

Hannah’s school gives out recognition medals to kids each month based on merit and behaviour. These awards, called the Star Kid award, are given out during the monthly assemblies, and since the beginning of the year, Hannah has been trying her best to get the award.

She told me she had been helping out in class with the cleaning up and had been extra attentive in class. She thought she would get the Star Kid award for sure in March but she was a little disappointed when she didn’t.

So it was with utter joy and happiness when she came back home last Wednesday displaying her Star Kid medal! Actually she was feeling a little under the weather that day, but she knew it was Assembly day and she wanted to go and see if they would call her name.